During its most recent Starlink mission, which occurred last night, SpaceX successfully landed the 300th Falcon rocket. The 300 mark is split between both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, but two of these rockets tipped over at sea after successful landings. SpaceX is aiming to break the 400 mark before the year is up, indicating the frequency of their missions this year.
There are speculations that another droneship is being built to support Falcon landings and maintain the flight schedule. This potential new droneship may enter service in 2025 and be sent to the West Coast to support launches out of Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship, marking the 300th landing.
For yesterday’s launch, 23 Starlinks were part of Group 6-53 and were launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The satellites were delivered to a 43-degree orbital inclination, and deployment occurred just over an hour after lift-off. The Falcon 9 utilized for the 300th landing was Booster 1078, making its 9th flight and successfully landing on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship.
Booster 1078 has launched various missions and is now on its way back to Port Canaveral. With SpaceX’s frequent launches and successful landings, it remains to be seen if they can maintain their current pace and surpass it in the future.